New to St. Thomas Aquinas Academy, or new to our live classes? You are not alone in wondering where your student fits. Wherever your family is starting from, there is a place for your student here, and a personalized entry point waiting to be found. Below are the questions we hear most often from families just getting started.

“We are interested in the live classes, but our student is just beginning high school and has not had much formal instruction in writing. Is that a concern?”

Not at all. Many of our students arrive at high school having read widely and learned in their own way, without a great deal of formal writing practice. Our courses are built to develop writing, reading, and discussion from the ground up, so your student does not need polished essays to begin. He or she needs only a willing heart and a readiness to grow.

“We do not have experience with classical education. Can we still join?”

Yes, and you are most welcome. You do not need a classical background to begin a classical course of study. Our advisors and study guides walk both you and your student through each step, and in the live classes your student is guided by an experienced advisor and surrounded by a small group of peers who are learning right alongside.

“How do we know which courses are right for our student?”

This is exactly what an advisor consultation is for, and we offer full skills assessments and planning support as well as a no-cost, no-obligation "getting started" meeting. Meet with a high school advisor, and we will talk through your student’s background and interests, recommend the right placement, and build a plan together. It is a reassuring conversation and the best first step any new family can take.

“Where do most students new to the program begin?”

For a student stepping into high school, the surest entry point is usually Composition I paired with American Literature. These two courses are designed to be studied side by side: one teaches your student how to write with structure, and the other teaches how to read a story with understanding.

Composition I with English Mechanics 1. Composition I is where a writer begins: students learn to gather their thoughts, give them order, and shape them into clear narratives, reports, and a first research essay. Rather than facing a blank page and a generic prompt, students write in response to real readings from American history, so the craft and the subject grow together. The semester culminates in a complete five-paragraph research essay, and each week an experienced advisor leads a discussion in which students articulate their ideas, read their drafts aloud, and reflect on their growth. The course includes English Mechanics 1, a steady study of grammar and punctuation that gives a young writer a firm foundation. Composition I meets weekly on Tuesdays and serves as the entry point to our Writing and Reasoning sequence. A brief writing sample, shared before registration, simply helps the advisor confirm the right starting point.

American Literature. In American Literature, your student learns to read the way a thoughtful reader does, discovering the deeper meaning beneath a good story. In the opening weeks, students gain a set of literary analysis tools built around the five elements of fiction: setting, characters, conflict, plot, and theme. These tools will serve them through all four years of our literature courses. Students then put them to work on a great American novel, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, joining a small group of peers for lively Socratic discussion. American Literature meets every other Thursday and is designed to be studied alongside Composition I.

“We are not new to high school, but we are new to St. Thomas Aquinas Academy, and our student is going into eleventh grade. Where do juniors who transfer in usually begin?”

There is a personalized entry point for every student, and this is exactly the kind of question our high school advisor loves to work through with a family. We do not simply slot a student into a grade; we consider what the student has already read and studied and build a path that fits. Usually, a junior transferring in begins with our Greek Studies courses, thoughtfully adjusted so that a few foundational courses, such as American Literature and Catholic Apologetics, can be woven in along the way. The surest way to map it out is through a free consultation, where we will design an entry point tailored to your student.

“We have been with St. Thomas Aquinas Academy for years, but we have never used the live classes. Our student is scheduled for Essay Writing in the Roman Studies cycle next. Can we take those courses live? Are the live classes a different track, or do they work differently from our homeschool enrollment or the Independent Study Option?”

The live classes are not a separate program or a different track. They study the very same St. Thomas Aquinas Academy courses your family already knows. Think of a live class as an added layer of support: the same course, now with an experienced advisor leading a weekly Socratic discussion and offering feedback as your student works. Whether your family is enrolled in the full program or using the Independent Study Option, the live classes simply add that guidance on top of the course your student was already going to study.

So yes. If your student is moving into the Roman Studies cycle with Essay Writing A as the next step in the Writing and Reasoning sequence, and has completed the prerequisites (Essay Writing B, Logic, American Literature, and Greek Literature), he is very welcome to join us live. In the fall, the Roman Studies live classes are:

• Essay Writing A, meeting weekly on Tuesdays
• Roman History I and Roman Literature I, paired together every other Thursday

One course in the cycle, Church History I, is studied independently rather than as a live class, yet it remains very much part of the Roman Studies cycle. Its readings from St. Augustine’s Confessions are studied in the background and woven into the Roman discussions, deepening the work your student does in Essay Writing A and Roman Literature I. If you would like experienced feedback on that course as well, advisor grading is available for Church History I separately.

If you are ever unsure whether all the prerequisites are in place, the high school advisor is glad to confirm and help you plan the year.

“How long is registration open?”

Early registration, which secures the lower rates for the year, closes at midnight on May 31. After that, registration for the fall semester remains open through July 31, and registration for the spring semester closes December 15.

These are small-group classes by design: a small circle of four to ten students, and a class closes once its seats are full. Registering early holds your student’s place in the small-group live class; registering by May 31 locks in the lower price.

Take the Next Step

A free consultation with an experienced advisor is the best first step, and there is no cost and no obligation. We will talk through your student’s background, recommend the right placement, and build a plan together. For an overview of the philosophy behind our live classes, visit About Our Live Classes, browse course descriptions on our Course Catalog and Schedule page, and print our live class brochure for the pricing and academic calendar.

Schedule a Free Consultation » About Our Live Classes » Browse the 2026–27 Course Catalog »

About the Art on This Page: Saint Thomas Aquinas (c. 1481–1482), Sandro Botticelli. Pinacoteca Vaticana, Vatican City.